© 2011-2012 Bob Hackett
URAL MARU was completed as a passenger cargo ship in 1929 for the Osaka Shosen Kaisha (OSK) Line. She was in OSK service plying between Kobe and Dairen, Manchuria until she was requisitioned by the Imperial Army in '37 for service
as a hospital ship between China and Japan. In '38, URAL MARU returned to OSK
service, but was requisitioned again by the IJA in Nov'41 as a military
transport to carry troops and supplies from Japan to Southeast Asian ports. In
Feb '43, she was again converted to a hospital ship. In Apr '43, URAL MARU was
bombed and lightly damaged by USAAF B-17 "Flying Fortress" bombers while she was
evacuating wounded soldiers from Guadalcanal. In Sep '44, URAL MARU was
torpedoed and sunk by an American submarine.
| Builder and Year Completed: |
Mitsubishi Zosen K. K., Nagasaki 1929 |
| Gross tonnage: | 6,374-tons. |
| Dimensions: | 404.6' x 54.6' x 32.8' |
| Propulsion: | Steam turbine engines, 6,658 i.h.p., 2 shafts |
| Speed: | 13.3 knots cruising, 17.4 knots maximum |
| Armament: | None as AH, unknown as AP. |
